Pardon an awfully stupid question and a long post....

I just installed J&M caster-camber plates, OEM Boss 302 standard springs, and Koni Yellows up front on a 2014 Mustang GT/track pack. Per directions, I used the strut bolts to align the wheels by centering the strut shaft in the tower opening and locked everything down -- good enough, the documents say, to get me to the shop for an alignment.

Some context: I live in an "undeveloped" area of the U.S. and there isn't a great deal of automotive sophistication around here -- which is partly why I do most of my work myself. I've never used caster-camber plates before, this is my first Mustang, and with other vehicles I've owned, the tire shops around here have been "good enough" with their Hunter outfits.

Not so with these caster-camber plates; you'd think I'd brought in a piece of alien tech from Area 51. Went to all four shops in the area and no one could or would help. Finally paid someone a bit of money to set the toe properly, re-centered the shafts myself by eyeball, and drove the car home with the driver's side within caster and camber specs, and the passenger side slightly out of spec.

As I understand it, the problem is that the cc plates have to be set with the car's wheels suspended in the air, but the alignment units around here only work with the wheels down on the rack -- the software is the problem, apparently. One guy talked about a complicated process wherein he'd have to take the wheels off, partially disassemble the hubs and bottom strut bolts, and attach "adjusters" he'd never used before, and then call up a software subroutine he'd never run -- I wasn't going to buy that without checking further.

Telling me to find a competent outfit isn't going to help -- no one around here has any experience with cc plates on Fords. If anyone is familiar with the actual alignment process, I'd appreciate a brief explanation and advice; is there a way of aligning J&M plates with wheels suspended while on an alignment rack? Are there particular racks that allow for a "wheels up" alignment, etc.?

 

I installed Steeda sport springs, dampers and camber plates on my '13 GT. Caster was not adjustable with these but can’t see where that really makes a difference. If the equipment the shop is using is remotely modern it can read all of the critical angles of the suspension geometry whether it’s adjustable or not. If the tech knows his craft he understands what to do.

I’ve never heard of anybody attempting to set any front end settings with the front end unloaded. Somebody would have to explain the logic behind that one to me!

The shop I took my ’13 GT to had no issues doing a 4 wheel alignment for me. Their only concern was if they could get it up on the rack since it was so low to the ground. It was close but they managed it! No disassembly, no lifting the front end off the deck. I looked up the specs I wanted it aligned to and brought them with me. Because the front end was no longer stock I took the initiative to meet with the tech to make sure the he understood where the adjustment points were and where I wanted them set. He told me no problem. The car tracked much better after the alignment and handles fine. 10,000 miles later I can say the tires are wearing superbly. I don’t know how your car is all that much different than mine. Best of luck to you and keep shopping for a shop that knows what they’re doing.

John